The man who orchestrated one of the most impressive offensive games in recent memory at Alabama exited the field to little applause. After being labeled a genius for the way he carved up Florida’s defense for the most yards it has ever allowed (645), no one asked him how he did it. No one could. The former media lightning rod wasn’t allowed to speak on the record as offensive coordinator, per Alabama policy.

He has been drawn to the perennial loser, convinced he can turn it around. Coach Quixote has had seven winning seasons. He has won a total of 128 games, and tied one. As of this past Saturday's 10-7 defeat at Tennessee State, he also has lost 199 games, which tied him with the legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg for the most losses in the history of major college football.

At some point, perhaps as soon as Saturday, when Tennessee Tech plays at No. 10 Northern Iowa, Coach Quixote will own the record. He will be the first man to lose 200 games.

"I didn't know that. But it doesn't surprise me," Watson Brown said. "Who's had the jobs I've had and is still a head coach?"

Courtesy of Watson Brown

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The left arm, the one that smashed into the wall at old Dudley Field his junior year at Vanderbilt, doesn't hang so much as dangles. That shoulder cost him his athletic career, football and baseball both, just as Coach Bryant told him it would. As a 17-year-old high school senior, Coach Quixote drove to Tuscaloosa to tell the Bear he wouldn't be coming to Alabama. He wanted to play for Vanderbilt.

"Here's what's going to happen," Bryant said. "You can go up there, and you might have a good career. But I doubt you'll finish, because you don't have good players around you. In this league, you gon' have a tough time."

Nearly a half-century later, Coach Quixote belly-laughs at the memory.

Mark Stoops’ name is being tossed around the internet as a possible candidate for some big jobs that may open up this winter. It’s all just fan chit-chat for now, but a caller on Stoops’ call-in show asked if Big Blue Nation should begin to worry.

“I plan to be around here for a long time,” said Stoops. “I’m just getting started.”

It started with Tift County High School winning the 1983 state championship and having seven seniors sign D1 scholarships. Surprisingly, none were recruited by UGA...

Flash forward more than 30 years later: Fletcher mentioned the story in a recent column for the Albany paper. Through a mutual acquaintance, it got back to Goff, who phoned the sportswriter out of the blue after all the time. Goff apologized if he had done anything to upset Fletcher or his family.

We laughed about it, and Goff half-jokingly said, “I’ll have to admit I don’t remember that, but I’m not doubting that it happened. I took a lot of shots to the head playing in the SEC.”

In his weekly post practice press conference, Miles was asked who he would have as LSU's guest picker when GameDay comes to Baton Rouge for Saturday's Ole Miss-LSU game. Herbstreit is a member of the GameDay crew, but guest pickers are usually famous alumni of the selected school.

Miles appears to not understand the concept of the guest picker. But maybe that was his way of setting up the punch line. Here's the text:

"I can only tell you, (I'd pick) the guys that have been wrong. I want the guy to be wrong again. Whoever the guy that has been consistently wrong, he needs to pick again. Or, that guy that has always picked LSU, either one. I'd have to go back and check their records.

"I'd have to say (Kirk) Herbstreit made a wrong pick, it wouldn't be the worst thing I ever heard if he made the wrong pick again. And yet there's probably some guys out there that have made the right picks and to me I'd like to kind of make the right pick, whichever pick that is. I'd pick Shaq in every way, in one-on-one and picking."

On the morning of LSU's 2007 SEC Championship Game victory against Tennessee, Herbstreit reported that Miles would become Michigan's coach after the season. LSU called a hurried press conference at which Miles vehemently denied the report and closed the classic Les Miles moment with his "Have great day" sign off.

"Before I bring it up for questions, I will make a statement about the problems that we're having on our football team," Tuberville said. "I'll be the first one to tell you that we've had problems."

Quarterback Jarred Evans was arrested the week before Tappan. There also was the Sept. 14 incident when one UC player (Alex Thomas) was arrested, a second (Hosey Williams) was cited and two others (Leviticus Payne, Ey'Shawn McClain) were found with outstanding warrants when police responded to a party where gunshots were fired.

"We do have a mentoring program, we have a training program for our kids, we talk to them," Tuberville said. "But I'm like everybody else, I'm kind of fed up with it. We're not going to have it anymore if they're going to be on this football team."

Tuberville he has always believed in second chances, within reason.

"Sometimes you have to put your foot down and say, listen, no more," he said...

UK announced that Stoops is now under contract through the 2019 season. The new deal also raises Stoops' base salary incrementally from $2.6 million this season to $3.85 million by the final year of the deal.

"I am excited about the progress our team has shown on the field, but this is as much about the next five years as it is the last one and a half," Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart said. "As I've said before, I believe we can compete at the highest level in the toughest conference. Mark is the coach to take us there."

South Carolina’s winningest all-time football coach plans to be back in the job for an 11th season in 2015, but that’s about as much of the future as Steve Spurrier is ready to talk about at the moment.

“The plan is to definitely be back here and so forth,” Spurrier told The State on Tuesday. “Just say that’s the plan.” Spurrier declined to discuss his future further or to predict what he might do with his coaching staff after the season.

“You probably have some questions that I’m going to have a tough time answering,” he said. “If it’s got anything to do with coaches coming back next year, me coming back next year, I am just going to refrain from all of that. Let’s get through this season here and see where we are all at is probably the smartest thing for all of us to do right now.”

South Carolina is 4-5 overall and 2-5 in the SEC after losing its fourth straight conference game to Tennessee last week. The Gamecocks are ranked last in the SEC in defense...

On behalf of the Football Writers Association of America we're writing you and other SEC administrators, as well as officials at the University of South Carolina, to express the FWAA's disappointment and concern Coach Steve Spurrier failed to take questions from the media at what was supposed to be his press conference after the Gamecocks' loss to Tennessee on Saturday night.

For any coach — but especially one who coaches in the SEC and has the stature of Steve Spurrier — to walk out on the media and not field any questions is totally unacceptable.

While Coach Spurrier's frustration after an overtime loss is understandable, media covering the participating teams we're sure felt a lot of frustration because they weren't able to properly cover a game that means so much to their readers and viewers.

Now that closed locker rooms are standard operating procedure for most major college football teams, and a few players and perhaps a couple of assistant coaches are made available for interviews after a game, it is absolutely essential for media members to be able to ask the head coach questions and get his answers.

While Saturday night was a home game for South Carolina, there were many Tennessee media there, and perhaps media from regional or national outlets who may have gone to a lot of time, trouble and expense to cover the game.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette staff traveled to Starkville, Mississippi, for Saturday night's Arkansas-Mississippi State game along with many other Arkansas media, and after the Razorbacks' suffered another agonizing last-second loss, as FWAA members we cannot begin to express the anger and frustration we would have felt if Coach Bret Bielema had walked into the interview room, talked for less than a minute and then gotten up and left without taking questions.

Coach Bielema had plenty to be frustrated about, too, but he spoke for about 10 minutes and took several questions.

That's the way it's supposed to work in the SEC, where as we all know college football is a passion and way of life.

Along with short-changing the media, Coach Spurrier also let down fans who follow his program — and many of whom support it financially — by not answering questions after the game.

SEC fans may be disappointed by a loss, but they want to hear from their head football coach.

Steve Spurrier is well paid to coach South Carolina and winning games may be at the top of this list of things to do, but fulfilling media obligations in a professional manner — and thus speaking to the team's fans — is also high on that list.

It is the FWAA's fervent hope that officials at the SEC as well as at South Carolina have made it known to Coach Spurrier that his behavior after the Tennessee game is not acceptable, cannot be tolerated and will not be repeated.

Mike, we all know the SEC is loaded with big-time coaches, but we also know that you, not the coaches, run the conference.

Thanks for your attention to this matter.

On behalf of the FWAA, we also want to extend our best wishes as you continue your treatment for prostate cancer. We miss seeing you at SEC events and look forward to seeing you in the future for many years to come.

Blame it on Sean Tuohy: Tuohy, a former Isidore Newman and Ole Miss star point guard, is a Taco Bell mogul in Memphis. Jimmy Sexton is a sports agent based in Memphis who also had Taco Bell interests.

In December 1999, the search to replace fired LSU coach Gerry DiNardo is going nowhere fast. Then-LSU Athletic Director Joe Dean, set to retire several months later, has interviewed two coaches and got basically turned down by Miami's Butch Davis.

Dean's phone rings. It's Tuohy, who maintained a relationship with Dean through the years after attending his summer basketball camps as a teenager.

Sexton, who was representing Michigan State coach Nick Saban, asked Tuohy to call Dean. Would LSU be interested in Saban? He wanted out of Michigan State and was intrigued by a position in a state that produced the highest number of NFL players per capita in the nation.

A few days later after a clandestine meeting at Sexton's house, Dean got the approval to hire Saban for $1.2 million a year, doubling his Michigan State salary.

"We had nobody, you get a call out of the blue and you're hiring somebody at more than you intended paying," Dean once told me. "Forget a search committee or hiring a search firm. One phone call and Saban really got the job by default."

I first became aware of this place during the FOI's and banners towards Hootie. I saw from a lurker what happened. I didn't pay much attention during Petrino's first couple years. Maybe lurked during the end of his 3rd and 4th year. Obviously the Smile era was followed in misery by the entire state and country. I didn't pay to much attention during the last search or right after we hired BB. I started seeing some questions raised about his hiring before he ever coached his first game. Seems SC is where the wheels fell off.

My question is this, briefly can you describe how it was around here during the nutty days until now. Has this place been this divided before. Were there many Nutt supporters. Seems like I remember most were beyond done with him by that time. There was even a couple weeks where smile was a viable option as a hire after his first 2-3 games and people thought he could hold it together until the wheels not only fell off, the axles went with them. I don't think there is any dislike for BB. I along with others question his offense in this conference with our recruiting. Contrary to popular belief, we are as die hard of hog fans as those who believe he will succeed. We both want the same thing, to win. We just differ on how to get there. That's not what I want to discuss here. I'm just curious how the history of past coaches and harmony on here. Has it always been a group vs group here.

I come in peace with this thread. We can get back to bickering elsewhere.

See you aren't getting an answer and this isn't the thread you will get much given the OP topic. Yes, it was pretty divided back in the Nutt days. This one of the few places one could rant, hence dark siders and was always the anti-Nutt board - at least the whole time I've been here. When BP was hired Nutt supporters faded. Since the firing of BP, its been war.

It tolls for thee, Muschamp: Maybe there was a way for Will Muschamp to save his job after Florida shocked Georgia a couple weeks ago. But the way the Gators blew a late lead and fell 23-20 in overtime against South Carolina on Saturday -- getting two kicks blocked in the last 3:30 -- probably removed any doubt. The Gators are now 5-4 and can become bowl eligible with a win against Eastern Kentucky next week, but this has to be the end for Muschamp. The Gators should have won this game but imploded at home in the closing minutes.

Chris Low: Muschamp is walking away with more than $6 million in a buyout from Florida, so he can take all the time he wants to settle on what is best for him going forward.

Remember, this was Muschamp’s first head-coaching gig. Some guys who have been head coaches for a while struggle with going back and working for somebody else. But before 2011, Muschamp had always worked for somebody else, and he’s the kind of down-to-earth guy who won't let his ego get in the way of doing what he loves to do -- coaching football.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – As Will Muschamp approached the podium in front of a throng of media members for one of his last times as Florida’s head coach, he smiled and took a quick peek over at the fine-dressed men who preceded him just moments earlier.

Florida president Bernie Machen and athletic director Jeremy Foley had just finished delivering their own eulogies for Muschamp, but he sliced through the funereal atmosphere with some quick wit, while fully understanding the gravity of the situation.

Even when a reporter told him he looked good and appeared to be taking the news well, Muschamp responded with more dry humor.

“My wife thinks I've gained some weight this year,” Muschamp said.

Sunday’s announcement of Muschamp’s eventual departure was heartbreaking for the coach and a tough decision emotionally for his bosses. They praised him for his high character and dedication to improving Florida’s locker room and raising the team’s GPA.

Players spent all Sunday supporting Muschamp via social media, and the three players who spoke at his news conference were grieving over the loss of their coach, who couldn’t escape his fourth year.

“It was something that we were kind of ready for, given all the buzz around the program,” offensive lineman Chaz Green said. “We knew how important it was to get that South Carolina win. That’s why it was so heartbreaking in the way that it ended, too.”